The Last Soulbender
by Taylor Awesomebutt
Summary: Kimiko has always sensed that she was different, with hair the color of straw and eyes the color of the sky. These two things were odd and rare, considering she lived in Ba Sing Se, where people have dark hair and green eyes. Join Kimiko on her journey to find friends, family, love, and herself. (( I suck at summaries, just read the story? ))


_**Kimiko's Story Pt. 1**_

Before I get into the story, let me explain something to you. I am writing this journal, this collection of stories from my past, in hopes that my daughter will one day read it and understand not only herself, but also her destiny. So, right now, I'm writing directly to her. Not to anyone else.

Daughter, you are the last of your kind, and that I can be sure of. Your father and I, we made sure that you would be safe into adulthood. We have provided you with everything you could possibly need until you turn 18. So, I have one thing that I need you to do. Something you'll only understand at the end of this book. My request is there, at the end, and I hope you understand that in order to do your best you have to read through the whole book. You cannot skip through, daughter. That would only make things worse for you.

This is the story of my life, of what happened during my youth. Of how I found my true path, of how I found my true identity. It started on my sixteenth birthday….

* * *

"Happy birthday, Kimiko!" My mother opened the door to my room and walked in, carrying a plate of food and a package, something that looked similar to a cage. I sat up in my bed and smiled at her.

"Morning, Mom," I said, eyeing the package. She followed my gaze and lifted it up, handing it to me.

"This is the present your father and I got you this year," she started, beginning to take the cloth over the top of it. As the cloth rose, I saw that I was correct about it being a cage. Before my mom could get another word out, a loud 'Meow-Hoot!' came from the cage. I giggled.

"Sounds like you got me a Cat-Owl," I stated, taking of the cloth the rest of the way. Sitting on a perch in the cage was a Cat-Owl, and it stared up at me with big green eyes. "Mom, you're the best," I said, and opened the cage. "I'll name her Aiko. Cat-Owl's need space. I think I'll take this little girl outside for a while, alright?"

"Okay, Kimiko, but I still have one more thing to give you. Now, close your eyes." I squeezed my eyes shut. I heard rustling, and felt my hair get pulled up into a ponytail. My mom stopped and told me to open my eyes. I did, and she held a mirror in front of my face.

"Oh, mom, I love the clip," I said, looking at my hair. She had pulled it up and held it back with a beautiful pink flower clip, and it looked absolutely fantastic.

"Maybe now you'll catch the attention of some boys," she said smiling. I shook my head and laughed.

"Of course my looks attract the boys, but once they talk to me, they realize how crazy I truly am!" I laughed again and began to head out the door. "Besides, who wants a crazy non-bender wife when you could have a perfectly sane Bender wife?" I heard my mom begin to say something, but I closed the door and began to walk down the street.

Ba Sing Se was a beautiful place with many different places to entertain yourself. One of the places I enjoyed going was the Jasmine Dragon, a popular tea shop in the upper section of the city. It was only a block or so from my house, so I was one of the more frequent customers, and Iroh gave me a discount on tea. Iroh had become one of my only friends, and, even though he was a good many years older than me, was one of the best.

As soon as I walked through the doors of the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh was there to greet me and wish me a happy birthday. He pulled me to the counter and offered me a free cup of tea, which led his nephew to protest, saying that giving me free tea was a waste of money.

"Oh, come off it, one cup of tea isn't going to lead you to bankruptcy," I said, crossing my arms and glaring at the boy. He looked to be about my age, maybe a year older, and he had a scar on the left side of his face, over his eye. Of course I had noticed him before, but this was the first time I had actually been this close to him, since Iroh usually served me. The boy glared right back at me, and Iroh tutted, standing between us.

"Violence is not the answer, Kimiko. Same to you, nephew."

"Uncle!"

"Iroh!"

"You both are so similar, it is funny to watch you argue like this." Iroh laughed, and I shook my head.

"I'm nothing like that hothead. Now, can I please have my birthday tea?" Iroh nodded, and Mr. Hothead went to take someone else's order. Iroh made a pot of tea and poured me a cup. I thanked him and began to drink.

"Kimiko, I noticed you have a new clip. It looks very nice on you." I smiled at him.

"Thank you!"

Iroh nodded, and I finished my tea. I gave Iroh the cup and stood up.

"I might come back later with Aiko, my cat-owl. She's really sweet, as far as I can tell. Would you mind if I bring her in?"

"No, not at all. As long as she isn't loud."

"She won't be. Thank you! See you later." I turned to leave, and bumped right into Mr. Hothead himself. He spilled the remainders of a cup of tea on me.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Watch where you're going! You spilled tea on me!"

"You look better that way."

"Ugh!" I took a napkin to wipe the tea up, then threw them at Mr. Hothead and swung my arms down by my side. He suddenly lurched forward, towards me, as though I had pulled a string he was tied to. It was weird, and his face contorted in pain. It was only for a second, though, because his face went back to its normal, annoying self in a second. I rolled my eyes and turned to leave again, patting the wet spot on my shirt with more napkins.

But, I swear, there was a little, thin layer of something white and wispy covering my hands.


End file.
